Mosaic expressions
It took a trip to the Vatican and Spain for this woman to discover the artist in her
Dubai: Call her a re-cycling enthusiast or just a passionate artist, 42-year-old Pooja Kapoor Sami turns any broken and damaged cutlery pieces into works of art – mosaic art to be precise.
Mosaic art involves creating images by assembling small pieces of stained glass, stone, ceramic, tesserae and other materials. It is one of the most ancient forms of art and was very popular in countries such as Cyprus, Rome, Spain and Greece, to name a few.
“My fascination for mosaic art started during a trip to the Vatican and Spain where this art form can be seen in full splendour,” said Sami, who until that trip in 1996 had not thought of herself as a mosaic artist. She was 27 then.
Then, in 2003, Sami had the opportunity to learn mosaic art at the Dubai International Art Gallery. “My children were a bit big by then and I could devote more time to learn the art and create some pieces. As people began to appreciate my work, I began to get more experimental with the pieces I wanted to create,” said Sami, a mother of two.
One of her early works is a re-creation of Dubai’s oldest residential area – Bastakiya.
“This piece is very special to me as my husband Sami Aqil Abdullah, who is a UAE national, asked me to do it. He has many childhood memories associated with the Bastakiya and in many ways I created this piece through his eyes.”
She took over two years to complete the work and made use of hundreds of stained glass pieces and glass tesserae.
Sami recalls how her sister once broke a bedside lamp and she rushed in to pick up the pieces, only to end up using them in a piece of art titled Water Lilly.
Her latest work, however, is a portrait of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Sitting in a 30 inch x 27 inch frame, this mosaic is made from thousands of stained glass pieces, glass tesserae and resins.
“I travelled all the way to Bangkok to source the resins as they are not easily available in Dubai. It was hard to find stained glasses in small pieces. Usually they come in long sheets and I had to cut and shape them into small pieces to fit into the image that I was creating.
“I came to Dubai when I was nine years old and I have been a huge fan of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad. It was only befitting for me to create this piece.”
She took six months to complete it but it is not for sale. “I would like to gift it to His Highness some day.”
Sourcing issues
Sami says sourcing mosaic materials in the UAE is not easy. “Stained glass can be hard to find. I usually source my ceramic pieces from any broken cutlery pieces and left-overs from construction sites.”
Sami has made a variety of give-away gifts like jewellery boxes, trays, tabletops etc that she is willing to make on order. Prices range between Dh50 and Dh95 for the small jewellery boxes, while a tray costs around Dh350.
